


Intensity

by Megane



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Adrenaline, Basketball, But They Never Learn, Challenges, Contact Sports, Humour, Implied Relationships, Intense, Intense Stares, M/M, Noctis and Prompto Should Know Better by Now, Side Commentary, Time off, house rules, work outs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9202781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: Playing basketball with Ignis and Gladio is rarely a good idea. Watching, however, is a completely different sight.





	

**Author's Note:**

> **Alternative Title:** The Heated Game

Noctis and Prompto sat off to the side, towels draped around the necks and water bottles clenched in their hands. Noctis was flushed over his neck and cheeks while Prompto was red… pretty much everywhere. He looked sunburned, but really, they had just been kicked out of an intense game of basketball.

A _very_ intense game of basketball…

     “‘m pretty sure they’re gonna kill themselves,” Noctis commented almost breathlessly. He took a sip from his water bottle as Prompto heaved out a sigh.

     “At some point, we’re gonna have to stop them.”

     Noctis looked over to Prompto increduously before nodding his head towards the court. “You wanna jump back in there? Be my—“

     “No thank you,” Prompto said quickly, shaking his head.  

He set his water bottle on the bench next to his right leg, using his left arm to support his weight. They both focused on the court again. The dribbling of the basketball sounded almost painful at this rate. Gladio had the ball, dribbling back and forth with his left foot forward. He took a step back, trying to calculate his next move as Ignis guarded him. Three pointers were near impossible between the two of them. They were within the same height class, and with Ignis on guard, he moved fast enough to knock the ball out of the air. Gladio had been dribbling for near thirty seconds, but Ignis waited, adrenaline keeping him on guard.

Trash talk and jokes died away maybe twenty minutes ago. Somewhere around the time both Noctis and Prompto got booted from the court. More for their safety than anyone else’s. While the other two were at a stand still, Noctis brought his left hand up to his mouth.

     “Shoot the _ball!”_ he yelled, mostly to be a distraction but also wanted the game to move along.

Both Ignis and Gladio glanced over to him before refocusing back on each other.

     “Well?” Ignis asked, eyebrow cocking up like a nervous twitch. 

Gladio merely stared down at him, looking disinterested before clutching the ball between his hands. The impact gave a tinny resonantion through the ball. Gladio and Ignis locked eyes, staring intently at one another. Before the ball even hit the ground again, Ignis moved forward. His hand came up to brush against the ball, and Gladio turned his wrist, snapping the basketball over to his other hand. Ignis took a step forward, nearly stumbling past, but he whipped around and gave chase as Gladio ran to the net. He gave up on trying to intercept the dribble and instead chose to block the dunk. He came up to Gladio’s side, sneakers pounding against the black top. He jumped just a second after Gladio did but swung his right hand over to knock down the ball. It hit the eroded metal hoop and bounced unexpectedly off the rim. Ignis’ hand jerked back a bit painfully, but he let the ball go without an immediate chase. They landed on their feet with a slight groan.

Ignis took in quick breaths through his nose, and he turned to walk after the ball which had rolled into the short grass. He heard footsteps behind him but ignored it. It was only Gladio. He swooped his hand down to pick up the ball, and when he turned, Gladio continued taking confident strolls towards him. Gladio squared up against Ignis, staring down at him with hooded eyes. Ignis touched the basketball against his hip as they pressed their fronts together. He kept a steady grip on the ball.

Prompto and Noctis watched silently on the bench. Prompto took a sip of his water. Noctis turned his water bottle between his hands before leaning over towards Prompto.

     “They’re gonna fight, aren’t they?” 

     “Probably,” Prompto said as Gladio reached for the ball. Ignis moved his hand away, holding the ball behind his back. The two kept focusing on each other.

     “Or fuck,” Noctis said after a watchful moment of silence.

     Prompto gave a small nod of his head, pointing over to Noctis. “Probably that one.”

Ignis strafed over to his left, and Gladio met his steps. They continued watching each other, even as they switched direction. Gladio began walking backwards to the center of the court, only stopping a few steps after Ignis did. They checked the ball, immediately launching into another round. Prompto fanned his towel at the side of his face; Noctis rubbed his lips together, and they watched as yet another match become intense. Ignis huddled over, keeping a great handle on the ball as he kept Gladio from trying to snatch from him. He rocked himself back, pressing his shoulder back against Gladio as he spun around. Gladio hit the ground hard. Noctis and Prompto let out a synchronised “Oooh” when they saw Gladio stumble. 

     “Don’t mind!” Prompto shouted. “S’all good. Walk it off!"

Noctis gave a one hand clap against his thigh, and Gladio jumped up to his feet, seemingly unaware of the encouragement from the sidelines. Just like the round before, this one ended with close contact and heated looks. When Gladio reached for Ignis’ wrists and pulled the advisor closer, Noctis sighed heavily and came up to his feet.

     “That’s our cue.”

     “Have fun, you two!” Prompto shouted, cupping a hand at the side of his mouth as he followed in Noctis’ footsteps.

     Noctis shook his head, mumbling under his breath, “Every time…”

     Prompto reached forward and gave a sympathetic pat to Noctis’ shoulder. “I know, man. Just give ‘im time. They’ll be back.”

Noctis gave a long suffering sigh, but they both knew it was only a matter of time before Gladio and Ignis came back and told them who came out on top.


End file.
